Darryl Sittler's Record Continues To Stand To This Day
Published on January 31st, 2023 5:53 pm ESTWritten By: Dave Manuel
On February 7th, 1976, Darryl Sittler of the Toronto Maple Leafs scored 6 goals and 4 assists to set the all-time record for most points in a single NHL game. Sittler broke the record that had been held by Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, who scored 5 goals and 3 assists against the Detroit Red Wings on December 28th, 1944.
Nearly 50 years later, Darryl Sittler's record still stands.
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If you had to pick a team to score 10 points against, Don Cherry's Boston Bruins would have probably been your last pick.
The Bruins were very, very good in 1976, and they were in the midst of a 7-game winning streak when they travelled to Toronto for a nationally televised game on that fateful day in February of 1976.
The Leafs, on the other hand, were in disarray. The team had gone 1-4-2 in their last seven games, and were just one game above .500.
The situation was so bad in Toronto, in fact, that team owner Harold Ballard had publicly called out team captain Sittler, saying that he wasn't doing enough for the team.
Sittler had been battling through a shoulder injury that year.
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The Bruins' top goaltender was out for the game against the Maple Leafs, and Sittler would make them pay.
Sittler would play between Lanny McDonald and Errol Thompson that game.
The line would obviously pay immediate dividends, and the Leafs would not break up the line for a couple of years.
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The day didn't start off well for Darryl Sittler.
After his pre-game nap, Sittler's wife, who was pregnant at the time, wasn't able to prepare his pre-game meal.
As a result, Sittler would hit Swiss Chalet before the game, scarfing down as much chicken as he possibly could while driving to the game.
In the first period, things started out well for the Maple Leafs, as they were able to notch goals by Lanny McDonald and Ian Turnbull. Sittler assisted on both goals, and had 2 points by the end of the first period.
In the second period, Sittler went absolutely wild as the Boston Bruins fell into disarray. Sittler would score a hat-trick in the period, as well as assisting on two more goals.
By the end of the second period, Sittler had 7 points and the Leafs enjoyed a 8-4 lead.
The Bruins, who would lose only 1 game (against the Leafs) over a 16-game stretch, were getting massacred.
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In most cases, a team leading 8-4 at the end of the second period would likely ease up a bit, with the coach putting out the third and fourth lines for most of the third period.
The Leafs, however, knew that Sittler was close to tying/breaking the record, and nobody wanted to take their foot off the gas.
Besides, this was the Boston Bruins, and humiliating them on Hockey Night in Canada would be a good team-bonding exercise.
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Sittler would score a goal less than a minute into the third period, giving him a piece of the record.
Halfway into the period, Sittler scored again, giving him sole possession of the record.
With time winding down in the game, Sittler would notch his second hat-trick of the evening, as a pass bounced off an opponent's skate and into the net.
Sittler had a 10-point night, and the record has been held by the former Leafs captain ever since.
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Was it Ballard's "motivational" speech before the game? Was it the Swiss Chalet? Was it the new linemates?
Sittler shrugged his shoulders after the game and simply said that it was just one of those things, and that he had felt no better that fateful Saturday night than any other night.
The Leafs would finish the season around the same level - three games over .500.
The Bruins continued to dominate, and they chalked it up to just "one of those things".
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In this day and age, a player putting up over 10 points in a game to break Sittler's record would be nearly impossible, given the amount of parity in the league, the quality of goaltending, etc.
Will Sittler's record ever be broken?
